AAC Departures

[USFRaider]

24 minutes ago, NewEnglandBull said:

The only two teams that are at least “somewhat” acceptable to me are UAB (I like their comeback story coupled with our basketball history together) and Rice (Top 20 university in the nation on academic quality and have a long football tradition…although over the last 20 years it’s been mostly bad). 

You think we get 20k to come through the turnstiles at RayJay to watch us play Rice?

[NewEnglandBull]

33 minutes ago, USFRaider said:

You think we get 20k to come through the turnstiles at RayJay to watch us play Rice?

Absolutely not, but we probably win’t get that many of “our fans” for BYU as well. We have lost too much. I guess another way to interrupt my comment is that I am just as happy with those two universities than any of those who are left in the conference. 

[USFRaider]

Just now, NewEnglandBull said:

Absolutely not, but we probably win’t get that many of “our fans” for BYU as well. We have lost too much. I guess another way to interrupt my comment is that I am just as happy with those two universities than any of those who are left in the conference. 

IMO, even if USF was the very best team in Conference USA 2.0, there still won’t be 20k coming through the RayJay turnstiles to watch us play the likes of Rice or North Texas. Tampa is a major league sports town with three successful pro sports franchises in the area. Tampa is accustomed to major league sports and Conference USA 2.0 is anything but major league. If north of 20k show up to watch us play any of these incoming teams, I will be very surprised.

[Friscobull]

1 minute ago, USFRaider said:

IMO, even if USF was the very best team in Conference USA 2.0, there still won’t be 20k coming through the RayJay turnstiles to watch us play the likes of Rice or North Texas. Tampa is a major league sports town with three successful pro sports franchises in the area. Tampa is accustomed to major league sports and Conference USA 2.0 is anything but major league. If north of 20k show up to watch us play any of these incoming teams, I will be very surprised.

Give it time bro, Tampa historically is ass when it comes to pro sports.  I will be rooting for the Bolts tonite but once Brady goes the Bucs will be the Bucs and the Rays following is pitiful.  Tampa is small potatoes and are simply on a crazy hot streak that will end sooner rather then later. 

[NewEnglandBull]

Just now, USFRaider said:

IMO, even if USF was the very best team in Conference USA 2.0, there still won’t be 20k coming through the RayJay turnstiles to watch us play the likes of Rice or North Texas. Tampa is a major league sports town with three successful pro sports franchises in the area. Tampa is accustomed to major league sports and Conference USA 2.0 is anything but major league. If north of 20k show up to watch us play any of these incoming teams, I will be very surprised.

I can agree with that. I would add however, that if the team was seriously challenging for a conference title (i.e rolling through the conference) we could get 20k but that is probably the ceiling. However, it’s a chicken and an egg. If we average that then it makes it difficult to move up to a better conference. An OCS and wins will help for a few years though. 

[NewEnglandBull]

1 minute ago, Friscobull said:

Give it time bro, Tampa historically is ass when it comes to pro sports.  I will be rooting for the Bolts tonite but once Brady goes the Bucs will be the Bucs and the Rays following is pitiful.  Tampa is small potatoes and are simply on a crazy hot streak that will end sooner rather then later. 

This is an excellent point. It is always cyclical for all teams. Pro teams do hang on for a while longer though. 

[bowman1]

2 hours ago, USFRaider said:

. . .I am going to be sad when ucf and Cincinnati are gone as I always enjoyed when we played those two teams. . .

Considering that we have been conference mates with Cincinnati longer than anyone else, that is the team that I am going to miss - we have had some pretty exciting games with them over the years (even the ones that we lost) and they have traditionally drawn well at Ray Jay

UCF was fun based on proximity (lots of fans from both schools at the games), which made the atmosphere more lively than other conference games

[Jim Johnson]

3 hours ago, USFRaider said:

IMO, even if USF was the very best team in Conference USA 2.0, there still won’t be 20k coming through the RayJay turnstiles to watch us play the likes of Rice or North Texas. Tampa is a major league sports town with three successful pro sports franchises in the area. Tampa is accustomed to major league sports and Conference USA 2.0 is anything but major league. If north of 20k show up to watch us play any of these incoming teams, I will be very surprised.

USF going 10-2 will get more than 30k to home games even against UTSA and Charlotte...  Tampa likes winners.  When the Bucs had a few mediocre seasons, they struggled to give away tickets.

USF may never get 65k against an AAC opponent ... but 30-35-40k is doable.

[NewEnglandBull]

2 hours ago, bowman1 said:

Considering that we have been conference mates with Cincinnati longer than anyone else, that is the team that I am going to miss - we have had some pretty exciting games with them over the years (even the ones that we lost) and they have traditionally drawn well at Ray Jay

UCF was fun based on proximity (lots of fans from both schools at the games), which made the atmosphere more lively than other conference games

 

[CousinRicky]

On 6/10/2022 at 6:44 PM, bowman1 said:

This thread has something for everyone - conspiracy theories, expansion rumors, misinformation, doomsday predictions, personal insults, aspersions cast about our opponents, rants about the state of USF football 

What is not to love?

 

On 6/10/2022 at 6:46 PM, NewEnglandBull said:

You also forgot pain, death, and humiliation…

He didn't forget those things. He mentioned the state of USF football.